cb400bill rocks! (Mixte content)
07-12-09, 01:00 PM
#1
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Location: Chicago, the leafy NW side
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Bikes: 1974 Motobecane Grand Record, 1987 Miyata Pro, 1988 Bob Jackson Lady Mixte (wife's), others in the family
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cb400bill rocks! (Mixte content)
Somehow I got fixated (heh) on the idea of a sweet vintage mixte for our 18 year old daughter who's going off to college next month. Bless her heart, she's been riding a Huffy to school for the last few years without complaint, while her very bike-y friends have spanking new single-speeds and (in one case) a very cool Bianchi. (I should point out that they get around on these bikes or public transit, the Bianchi owner's family doesn't even own a car.)
So I've been studying up, with an immense amount of help from this forum, and scouring eBay and CL. I missed a nice looking Motobecane and a Univega due to not being able to get out to see them quickly enough, and at that point I wasn't 100% sure it was even the right kind of bike for her. Finally we tried one out at a bike shop, a Raleigh Marathon, and found the style was ideal for her, though that bike had a bent fork. Back to CL!
A couple of days ago I spotted a likely mixte, a Miyata 100, in southern Michigan, and had just started emailing back and forth with the owner when I got a friendly PM from cb400bill about the same bike. What a friendly gesture from someone I'd never met! It turned out the bike was just a few minutes from him, so he offered to check it out and secure it for me before someone else swooped in for it. As it was priced at $75 it couldn't have lasted long even in that area.
That worked out just great, and I'm still knocked out by Bill's generosity. We only got to hang for a short time the evening I came to Michigan to pick up the bike but I hope we'll sit down with some leisure (and maybe some beer) sometime. Also I hope I can repay his gesture sometime and 'pay it forward' to others on this board.
The bike is beautiful, I can't imagine there's a cleaner one anywhere. It may be an entry level bike but as a Japanese product from the heyday of their manufacturing, there's nothing cheap about it. Cro-moly frame, alloy rims, original Miyata branded tires, though the tubes are leaking a bit. It was being sold by the original owner, whose dad, an avid cyclist, had bought it for her. She was a little sad to let it go, but very happy that it's another dad-daughter gift. Daughter is thrilled with it, it is bright and unique (as she is) and I think she'll have no trouble keeping up with her friends now.
Thanks again, Bill!
PS: extra bonus is that we get to say we 'got her a Miyata' as a graduation present!
So I've been studying up, with an immense amount of help from this forum, and scouring eBay and CL. I missed a nice looking Motobecane and a Univega due to not being able to get out to see them quickly enough, and at that point I wasn't 100% sure it was even the right kind of bike for her. Finally we tried one out at a bike shop, a Raleigh Marathon, and found the style was ideal for her, though that bike had a bent fork. Back to CL!
A couple of days ago I spotted a likely mixte, a Miyata 100, in southern Michigan, and had just started emailing back and forth with the owner when I got a friendly PM from cb400bill about the same bike. What a friendly gesture from someone I'd never met! It turned out the bike was just a few minutes from him, so he offered to check it out and secure it for me before someone else swooped in for it. As it was priced at $75 it couldn't have lasted long even in that area.
That worked out just great, and I'm still knocked out by Bill's generosity. We only got to hang for a short time the evening I came to Michigan to pick up the bike but I hope we'll sit down with some leisure (and maybe some beer) sometime. Also I hope I can repay his gesture sometime and 'pay it forward' to others on this board.
The bike is beautiful, I can't imagine there's a cleaner one anywhere. It may be an entry level bike but as a Japanese product from the heyday of their manufacturing, there's nothing cheap about it. Cro-moly frame, alloy rims, original Miyata branded tires, though the tubes are leaking a bit. It was being sold by the original owner, whose dad, an avid cyclist, had bought it for her. She was a little sad to let it go, but very happy that it's another dad-daughter gift. Daughter is thrilled with it, it is bright and unique (as she is) and I think she'll have no trouble keeping up with her friends now.
Thanks again, Bill!
PS: extra bonus is that we get to say we 'got her a Miyata' as a graduation present!
Last edited by Chicago Al; 07-12-09 at 01:24 PM. Reason: I'll get this photo thing right sooner or later!
07-12-09, 01:50 PM
#2
Dolce far niente
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This is what it's all about.
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"Love is not the dying moan of a distant violin, it’s the triumphant twang of a bedspring."
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"Love is not the dying moan of a distant violin, it’s the triumphant twang of a bedspring."
S. J. Perelman
07-12-09, 05:47 PM
#4
Pedal pusher...
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Beautiful bike and great story. I wish your daughter many happy miles...
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May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
07-13-09, 07:13 AM
#5
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Thanks for the compliments guys. I really appreciate it.
If there is anything in the C&V world that I like more than picking up a bike for a member of my family, a friend, or for myself, it is helping someone get a bike for themselves or one of their family members.
If there is anything in the C&V world that I like more than picking up a bike for a member of my family, a friend, or for myself, it is helping someone get a bike for themselves or one of their family members.
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